Baby it's Cold Outside
by littleblackcurlyhair
Summary: A blizzard in New York causes a Black-out which leaves Chandler and Phoebe stranded together, for the evening. My first attempt at ChandlerxPhoebe, meant to be a fluffy one-shot but instead of making it ridiculously long, it'll be a two-shot. Reviews are appreciated! :)
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I decided to try something differnt, (since most all of my other fics are PhoebexJoey) and give ChandlerxPhoebe a try. I know that it's a bit early for winter-themed holidays, but, in my neck of the woods (Canada, which is also the home-country of Matthew Perry;) ) Thanksgiving has already come and gone, and Christmas is just around the corner. I'd like to dedicate this fic to my good friend, __**findmyway**__, who's ChanxPhoebe fics have been a huge inspiration for this story! Hope she and whoever else reads this like it, and don't forget to leave a review! :) So this fic takes place mid-November, in one of the early seasons._

Chandler glanced up at the clock above his cubicle, and sighs. He still had two hours of his shift to go. He felt like bashing his head against his desk, but most of his co-workers already found him strange and obnoxious enough as it was. He stared at the spreadsheet document in front of him, until the numbers and words lost all meaning, and he became lost in his thoughts.

Later this evening, he had plans to go to some play, with a boring-sounding name that Joey was staring in, with the rest of the gang. Only problem was, everybody else was bringing a date, except for him. Monica was bringing Richard along, and Ross and Rachel were obviously going together. Normally, he wouldn't feel so bad being the odd man out, if he weren't the only one. But even Phoebe had let him down, by announcing that she was going on a blind date tonight, at some French restaurant and then, because Joey made her promise she'd be there, date or none, coming with her date to the play. None the less, nothing about the evening that lie ahead of him sounded overly appealing, after a long day of work.

"Alright, Bing..." Chandler muttered to himself. "2 more hours of mind-numbing desk work, and then you get to pretend to enjoy low-budget theater, while being sad, pathetic, and alone." He paused, taking a sip of coffee, which was no longer warm, from the mug on his desk. "Lucky you..."

He cracked his knuckles, and with his fingers poised above the keyboard, ready to get back to whatever he was doing, he noticed an odd flicker of light above him. He glanced up at the dim, florescent bulb.  
>"I told that damn maintenance man to fix this damn light, three DAMN days ago!" he uttered, loud enough to turn a few curious heads of his co-workers. To which he awkwardly smiled.<p>

"Hi..how are you? I'm not a disturbed man. Not at all. I love my job." he assured them, and turned his attention back to the document on his screen, just as it suddenly disappeared, like being sucked into a small black vortex . At the same time, the room simultaneously turned black. Chandler heard the confused murmurs of his co-workers in his neighboring cubicles, discussing the unexpected interruption of what would otherwise be another dull work day.

A part of him was relieved for the sudden interruption, which meant he no longer had to work. Until he also realized that this meant he'd lost an entire day's work, which would have to be made up. He waited a few minutes in the dark, waiting for some kind of explanation. There was a blizzard warning when he left for work this morning. Perhaps that was what knocked the power out. A moment later, he saw the glow of a flashlight, approach the room. Behind it, the voice of his department's supervisor.

"Alright everyone, stay calm. No need to panic, but we've just checked the fuse box, and yes, the power is out. The phone lines are down as well."

An uproar amongst disgruntled office workers began as they all started talking at once.

"Does this mean we get to leave?" Chandler called out, above their voices, asking the question everyone seemed to be thinking.

"I wouldn't advise it. The weather out there is pretty horrid. And most of the roads are blocked off right now for plowing. Unless it's an emergency, I would suggest staying until they can get the roads opened up."

Chandler contemplated his options for a second or two. 'Risk dying out there, in a horrible car accident...or die here, slowly, surrounded by people I loathe, in a building that smells like mildew, and over-bearing perfumes...'

In an instant, he made a bee-line for the exit, bumping into bodies, and muttering apologies. "Sorry...'scuse me. Emergency play to attend. Must leave now! See y'all on Monday!"  
>...<p>

Chandler managed to make it about half-way home. His car skidding dangerously on the icy terrain, and the storm, making it it hard to see. The thick flakes were falling faster than his windshield wipers could move. He soon realized that his supervisor wasn't at all exaggerating when he told him that the roads were blocked, as he found that the route he normally took to work, was blocked off with signs, and flashing lights. He begrudgingly drove around to the next few streets, finding them too, blocked off and let out an exasperated groan. He allowed his forehead to hit the steering wheel.

"God, Why...WHY did I think this was a good idea?" He asked himself. With a sigh, he continued, slowly down an unblocked street, which he didn't even recognize. He noticed the name of a restaurant he'd never been to, yet it sounded familiar. Wasn't this the restaurant Phoebe was going to this evening? If it was, he couldn't be far from his street. She had walked there from Central Perk, after all. His apartment building must be just around the corner. Yet, unsurprisingly, the end of the street was blocked. Since it was apparent that, too his annoyance, he wouldn't be able to park on his own street. He decided to pull into the parking lot of the restaurant, and walk the rest of the way. The last thing he needed was for his car to be flattened by a snow plow truck. Besides, it couldn't be more than a 10 minute walk.

However, as soon as he got out of his vehicle, he regretted his decision. The wind whipped at his back, covering him in slush-like snow, as he walked. It wasn't long before his fingers and his ears became numb. Despite the storm warning, he hadn't even thought about putting on a thicker jacket before he left the house.

"Why..._WHY_ did I think this was a good idea!?" He repeated, more irritably. Now, his biggest concern was getting home before he froze to death. That was of course, until he glanced up and saw something moving slowly in front of him, which resembled a yeti. No, it wasn't a yeti. It was a crazy homeless woman, covered in snow, and babbling to herself as she shuffled her way down the sidewalk. 'Poor lady...' he thought. 'I hope she has some place warm to go.' And as he came closer to the woman, he realized that she looked familiar, from behind. In fact, this wasn't a homeless woman, at all. And she wasn't babbling to herself so much as she was shivering, and chattering her teeth. He reached out, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Pheebs?"

The blonde slowly turned to face him. To his horror, he saw that he clothes were covered in snow, from head to toe. Her hair lay in stiff strands beneath the wool cap she was wearing. Even her eyelashes were crystallized with white. Her lips were turning blue.

"Oh, my God, Phoebe!" he exclaimed, with growing concern. "What happened? And what the hell are you doing out here?"

It took her several seconds, for her to answer, as her teeth were chattering so rapidly.  
>"D...d-d-d-date...didn't...sh-sh-show up. R-r-r-rest-t-t-taraunt...c-c-c-closed. P-p-plow truck...drove past...and...and..." she slowly lifted her arm, in an attempt at what Chandler assumed was a wave motion.<br>"Dear God, how long have you been out here?" he asked her, finding himself shouting over the violent wind that whipped at them both. He couldn't imagine how cold she must be. Much like himself, she wasn't dressed for the weather, save for her hat, and a thin pair of gloves. He knew she couldn't be out here much longer.

"Come on. Let's go to my place, it's close by! I'll...I'll carry you!" he suggested, thinking it would be better than her walking any further. He placed one arm behind her back to support, and made an attempt to lift her legs, which remained stiff, as though they were frozen solid. It only took him two steps to realize this plan wasn't going to work.

"Nope...nope..." he grunted, as he lowered her to the ground. "Sorry, Pheebs. It's not that you're a particularly heavy woman. It's just that...well, I'm not a particularly strong man. You see these so-called muscles, consist mainly of butter, and nothingness. Where's Monica when you need her, huh?"

Chandler sighed. He had to think of something else, and fast. He pulled his friend aside, underneath the canvas-shelter of a grocery store, to get her out of the snow. He removed his jacket, and placed it over her shoulders, despite the sharp bite he felt of bitter coldness against his cotton work shirt. She needed it more than he did, right now. He decided to act on the only other idea he had.

"Pheebs? Wait here, ok? Please...just, don't freeze to death. I'll be right back!"

As fast as his freezing legs could carry him, he ran back towards the restaurant where he left his car, and got in. He started it up and backed out of the lot, driving up to where he left Phoebe. Jumping out of the car, he runs around and helps lower her into the passenger side. His plan was for them to seek shelter in his vehicle, at least, but it occurred to him, that this was a bigger emergency than that. For all he knew, she could already have hypothermia.

He presses the throttle and slows down near the end of the blocked off road. Twisting around in his seat, he looks out the back window as he puts his car in reverse. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. And by that, I mean, I've seen this done in movies, and have a vague idea of what I'm doing. You might wanna hold onto something, Pheebs."

With that, he gunned the throttle. His tires skid against the icy street before his car took off, full speed towards the blockage of signs, and pylons, sending them flying in all directions. Possibly damaging his car, but that didn't matter to him.

Finally, he pulled up in front of his building, running around to Phoebe's side of the car to help her out, and inside. He managed to slowly and steadily, get her up the staircase, and unlock his door. He guided her inside, and sat her down in his Barcalounger. He then grabbed the thick quilt from off of his bed and wrapped it around her. She was still shivering, and dripping with melting snow, but even in the darkness of his unlit apartment, he could see the colour beginning to return to her face. That had to be a good sign.

In one of the cabinet drawers, Chandler found the few candles he and Joey owned, as replacements for the menorah that was used the last time the power went out, as well as some matches, and flashlight. He lit them, one by one, and placed them in the menorah.

"Just hang tight, Pheebs. We'll get you warm in no time." He told her, giving her sides a vigorous rub beneath the blanket. He went into the bathroom, praying to god that the black-out hadn't effected their water tank, as well. He turned the faucet, and was relieved, as he put his hand underneath and found the water to be hot. He allowed it to begin to fill the bathtub, and returned to the living room to his friend.

"Alright..." he said, as he grasped her by the hands and pulled her to her feet. "Time to get out of those clothes." He paused, rethinking his last sentence. "I realize that that's the first thing a rapist would say in the whole, guy-grabs-girl-off-the-street-and-forcibly-takes-her-to-his-home-scenerio...but, I assure you, that's not what I had in mind!"

With her jaw still chattering, slightly Phoebe forced a smile. "Thanks, Chandler...I think I can handle the clothes thing myself, if you don't mind though."

"Oh. Of course you can. You're over the age of three, after all." Chandler muttered, feeling somewhat embarrassed for not thinking before he spoke. "I just thought that...maybe you were too cold to...here. Take this." He thrust the flashlight into her hand. "Clean towels are in the closet. And, uh...our dryer is probably not working right now, but I'll try to find you something dry to wear, ok?"

"K." Phoebe replied. "Thanks again, Chandler. You really are a life-saver."

Chandler smiled, modestly. "Well, I'm sure you'd do the same for me. I mean, as much as I know you like snowmen, I can't see you actually leaving me outside to turn into one."

While she was in the bathroom, Chandler rummaged through his drawers, as best he could in the dark. He'd never realized how similar all of his clothes were, until now: Work shirts. Sweater vests. Khakis. It was basically all he owned. He decided to check out Joey's room, to see if he could find something more suitable for Phoebe to wear. He settled on a t-shirt he found, along with an old pair of his own shorts, and returned to the bathroom door. He hesitantly rapped against it, not used to having a woman in his bathroom, unless she was one of Joey's one-night stands.

"Pheebs, I've got some clothes for you. Do you want me to just put them outside the door?"

He waited. A few seconds passed, and there was no answer. He began to worry. Even more so when he recalled something he had seen on tv about hypothermia, and how it effected a person's internal organs. Chandler was no doctor, but could it be possible for a person to warm up so fast that it would stop their heart? He began pounding on the door.

"Pheebs!?" His heart rate increased when he heard nothing. 'Oh my God. I've killed her..'

"Pheebs!...I'm coming in!" He found the door unlocked, to his relief, and rushed into the room. He didn't make it very far before he heard the startled gasp of his friend, as she makes a quick move to cover herself with her arms.

"Hey!" Phoebe shrieked, as Chandler promptly threw his hand over his eyes. He turned around and left the room, faster than he'd gone in.

"Gaahh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I thought you were...having a heart attack!"

"No!" Phoebe said. "Who has a heart attack in the bathtub!?"

He uncovered his eyes to see that she'd gotten out of said bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself.

"Lot's of people do, you'd be surprised! And why didn't you answer me in the first place?"

"I was holding my head under water! I didn't hear you!" she snapped.

"You were...what?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah, I do it all the time! I was trying to remember my past life, where I drowned in a river in Egypt trying to escape Pharoh's wrath!"

"I see..." Chandler mused, feeling embarrassed, despite her ridiculous explanation. It obviously made perfect sense to Phoebe. "Well maybe you could do that when you're...not naked. And in your own house! So you don't scare the living crap out of people!"

Phoebe gave him an irritated glare. "Oh, yeah? Well...maybe YOU could not walk in on your friends when they're naked! What, seeing Rachel naked wasn't enough for you? You needed more flesh to feast your eyes on!?"

"Hey, that was an honest mistake, ok!?" He defensively insisted. "Look...I didn't really see anything! It's dark in there, and I'm not some kind of pervert who just...purposely walks in on naked women in his house for his own sick gratification! Not that...it wasn't kind of gratifying. I mean you're obviously a very attractive woman, from what I DID see..." he shook his head to stop his mouth from running before he could process what he was saying.

"I need to stop talking, now. Here, look! I found you some clothes! Why not put them on, so we can stop all this non-sense!" He thrust the clothes in his hands at her.

"Believe it or not, these are the most feminine things I could find..but they're nice and dry, that's all that matters."

Carefully holding her towel in place, Phoebe unfolded the shirt and held it close to her to read the printing on the front.

"F.B.I. Female Body Instructor..." she read, and looked up at Chandler, with a puzzled expression.

"That would be Joey's shirt. I'm sure he won't mind you borrowing it. And uh..those shorts, use to be mine, back in high school. They don't even fit anymore, so..."

She held up the denim cut-off shorts, looking quite amused. "Oh, wow...Daisy Dukes! I haven't seen those in forever!"

"Hey, they're not...they were very in-style back then, ok!?" Chandler shouted.

"Uh-huh. Sure..." Phoebe said. "Alright, I'm going to go put them on. And I'm locking the door." she adds.

"Fair enough..." Chandler told her. He returned to his living room, to wait, in silence. He wished the TV was working, or something. This was going to be an awkward night, to say the least. Especially after what just happened.

An unexpected sound made him jump, suddenly. It sounded like a phone, but he knew the phone lines were down. That was when he remembered that he owned a cell-phone. He pulled it from his jacket pocket, wondering who it could be..

_A/N: More to come soon! Thanks for reading! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks again to everyone who read this, and to everyone who reviewed. ;) Hope y'all like this one!_

Reluctantly, Chandler answered the unknown-number call.

"Hello?"

"Dude! It's Joey. Listen, the play's been canceled tonight. Something about a huge storm, outside.."

Chandler resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Joey's careless observation. Obviously, he hadn't looked out a window, recently. "You don't say.." he muttered, and took a moment to check on the condition of the storm, outside his own window. Still snowing in a dark, scary, apocalyptic-like manner. "So where are you guys? At the theater?"

"No. We decided to go get something to eat. We're at this restaurant that has generator-power, and they're givin' away free appies and drinks, cause o' the storm! Pretty cool, huh? Hey! You should come down here!"

This time, Chandler had to roll his eyes. "Sure, Joe! Let me just round up my 12 huskies, and I'll head on down, on my dog sled!"

"Awesome, man. See you when you get here! Oh, hey..have you heard from Phoebe? She hasn't shown up yet, either."

Chandler glanced up and saw Phoebe coming out of the bathroom, just as Joey mentioned her name.

"That's because she's here with me. You wanna talk to her?"

"Sure, put her on."

He handed the phone over to Phoebe. "It's Joey."

"Hey, Joey!" The blonde chimed into the phone. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't make it to you're show tonight, but..I kinda almost died walking there. I promise, I'll make it up to you, some how."

Chandler watched her smile become a look of disgust, and she, too rolled her eyes at something Joey was saying.

"No, I'm not doing that, Joey...Or THAT! My God, you're disgusting!"

Chandler had to smirk, with amusement, as he continued eavesdropping on her side of the conversation.

"No, the lights and everything are down here. Ooh, but we've got some of those Jewish candles, so yeah, don't worry about me and Chandler. Besides, I don't think this is really the end of the world. That's not going to happen for at least another decade or so. Alright, well be safe, and I'll see you all when you get home. Uh-huh. Bye."

Phoebe hung up the phone, and sat down on the couch. He noticed her pull her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Still cold, huh?" Chandler said. He grabbed the quilt from off the chair and placed it around her shoulders. "Here. We've got some spare blankets, if you want more."

"No, but thanks, Chandler. It's just nice to be indoors, during this storm, you know? A few years ago, I would have been in my car, where I lived. Which y'know, didn't actually have any windows. Ooh, but all the rats who lived in the street had no where to go either, so, there were always foot-warmers."

He smiled and nodded, even though he always found her stories from the street somewhat disturbing. "And people think that they're just filthy, disease-ridden pests, that serve no purpose.." He got up from his chair, pacing, and rubbing his hands together, noticing how increasingly cold it's becoming without heat in his apartment.

"Are _you_ cold?" Phoebe asked.

"Me? Nah. Just a little less-warm than I would be if we had power, but I'm not cold. Men don't get cold, you see. It's an...evolutionary thing. You can even ask Ross. We survived the ice-age. I think I can survive one cold night in New York."

"Well, I don't buy all that evolution crap, so there's no need to try and act all macho around me, Chandler." she told him, and extended her arm, lifting the blanket up on one side to invite him to join her. "Here. Sit down. There's plenty of room for both of us under here."

He shuffled his feet, nervously. "Uh...no, I'm good, Pheebs. The blankets all yours."

"Why? Do I smell or something?" she asks.

"No, of course not."

"Then _sit_!" she demanded, rather sharply. He quickly did what she said.

"Alright.." he sat down next to her, and allowed her to set the quilt down over his shoulders. He had to admit, it was much warmer, than standing. 'Wow...' he thought. 'She doesn't smell, actually. In fact she smells nice. Like soap. This isn't awkward. I'm just sitting next to my friend, Phoebe, under a blanket...nothing weird about that..' He cleared his throat, interupting his thoughts. Between them, and this silence, things were getting more awkward for him by the minute.

"Some hot chocolate would really hit the spot right about now, huh? Too bad there's no way to heat it. I don't know about you, but I'm really not in the mood for cold, undissolved-chocolate." he said.

"Mmn..." she agreed. "I'm getting kind of hungry, too. Ooh! Maybe Joey will bring us some leftovers, from that restaraunt!"

Chandler raised his eyebrows. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever heard the words 'Joey' and 'leftovers' in the same sentence. Have you met the man?"

"Eh...true enough." Phoebe shrugged.

Chandler's own stomach had been growling since had called to mention free food, and rub it in their faces that he and the others had warm meals, while that wasn't possible for them, right now. Besides, he hadn't eaten anything since the unsatisfactory cup-o-noodles he had for lunch at work.

"Well..there is an awful lot of food in the fridge that's going to spoil if the power doesn't come back, soon. And since the bottomless pit isn't home...let's see what I can find us."

Chandler picked up the flashlight, and went to the fridge. There wasn't much in there that didn't require heat. He rummaged a bit until he found some sandwich meat, cheese and bread.

"I'm making a bologna and cheese sandwich, you want one?" he called over his shoulder.

"Uhm...unless it's tofu-bologna, then no." Phoebe replied, sounding a tad bit annoyed, much to his confusion. Then it dawned on him. "Ohh...right. Vegetarian. Sorry, Pheebs. Uhm...well then, how about a grilled-cheese? Minus the grilled, of course. And you know what? I think we've actually go some tomato, and lettuce in here."

"Sounds good." Phoebe agreed.

With some difficulty, of balancing the flashlight in one hand, he managed to assemble the two sandwiches with the other. He also grabbed a large bag of potato chips from the counter, which undoubtedly belonged to Joey but that bastard was probably off enjoying some hot french fries, with gravy. At least that's what he told himself, to justify taking them.

"Dinner is served." Chandler said, with the bag held between his teeth, as he was juggling two plates and a flashlight in his hands.

"Thank you." Phoebe took the plate from him. It occurred to him she might also like a drink, and he decided to be a good host and offer one. He returned to the kitchen.

"What would you like to drink, Pheebs? There's soda, milk, water..." Opening the cupboard door, he found something else that belonged to Joey. Something he was probably saving for a hot date, no doubt. He picked up the red wine bottle, hesitantly. "On the other hand...some boose might warm us up." he suggested, holding up the bottle.

"Sure, I'll have a glass." Phoebe told him. "I mean it's not like I have to drive anywhere."

Surely, Joey must have owned wine glasses, yet Chandler didn't feel like stumbling around looking for them in the dark, and settled on some regular short glasses. He brought them and the wine bottle to the couch and rejoined Phoebe under the blanket. He filled their glasses and began to eat his sandwich, unable to help but notice the uncomfortable silence as they ate together. He tried to think of something to say to make this less awkward.

"Good sandwich?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded, her mouth full.

"Good.." he muttered. As he reached over for a handful of chips, his hand brushed against her bare leg, and he quickly pulled it away. He was grateful for the dark at this time, meaning she couldn't see how red his face had become. 'Who would've thought her skin would be so soft?' he found himself thinking, before he began uttering his apologies. "I'm sorry! I was not trying to crop a feel!"

She laughed. "Chandler, relax. It's fine."

"Alright, I just thought you might have thought I was trying to... do something. I mean, first, I walk in on you naked, now here we are, sipping wine and sharing a blanket, in the dark. How much longer before we're doing the nasty?" He was trying to make a joke, to lighten the mood, but in the candle-light he could tell by her face, she wasn't amused. His smile dropped. "That was a joke." he assured her. "An awful one. Very inappropriate. I'm sorry. You know, maybe I'll just stop talking, for the rest of the evening."

He quickly filled his mouth with another bite of half his sandwich, eating in a very Joey Tribbiani-like, ungraceful fashion.

"No, don't do that..." Phoebe said. "Look, I'm used to your awkward jokes by now. And besides, it's too quiet in here."

"I know.." he agreed. "I wish I had some batteries so we could listen to the radio, or something."

"Ooh! Ooh!" she suddenly said, her eyes widening. "I have my guitar! I was playing at Central Perk tonight, and I asked Joey to bring it here, so I wouldn't have to take it on my date."

She jumped up from the couch, with excitement and found the guitar case, before bringing it back to her seat. She picked it up out of the case. She plucked a few strings to tune it properly, and looked at Chandler.

"Any requests?"

He shook his head, pouring himself a bit more wine. "No, just play whatever you'd like, Phoebe. "

"Well.." she said thoughtfully. " I wrote some new song that's about a snowman. And ooh! I happen to have a song about black-outs! Why don't I start with that one?"

Chandler smirked, politely. He was pretty sure he remembered her playing it last time there was a black out. "Let's hear it!"

She began plucking the strings._ "New York City's lost it's power, and the milk is getting sour, but for me it's not too scary. Cause I stay away from dairy...Lalalaa lalalala..."_  
>...<p>

Chandler didn't know what time it was. His head was now resting on the arm of the sofa. He pulled the blanket up closer to his chin. He didn't know if it was the wine or Phoebe's playing that was beginning to lull him to sleep, but he was beginning to feel sleepy. It felt like she'd been playing for hours.

"_I made a man out of snow, his eye's were so bewitchin'. How was I supposed to know that my_-"

"Pheebs?" he sat up slightly, interupting her. "You've been playing the same two songs for like the past hour now."

"Oh. I'm sorry, are you not enjoying them?" she asked, in an offended tone as she stopped playing.

"No, I was...the first 20 something times ago." he asnwered.

"I just thought they were the most appropriate songs for tonight. Besides, I told you I'm taking requests! I don't see anyone else around here, but you!"

"Ok, well..." he pulled himself into a sitting position. "How about a song about snow, that doesn't involve suicide?"

"I don't have any of those." She told him.

"Well, do you only play your own songs?" he asked. "Not that I don't like them. But there's nothing wrong the classics, you know?"

"Hmm.." Phoebe contemplated a moment, guitar still in hand. "Ooh, what if I play a Thanksgiving song?"

"Nah...I hate Thanksgiving."

"Oh, right." Phoebe muttered. "I forgot what a kill-joy you are when it comes to the holidays.."

"I am not a kill-joy," Chandler insisted. "It's just that one happens to remind me of my parent's divorce. And Christmas. I always hated having to split the holidays between my mom's house and my dad and my step-mom, Steven's house."

"I see.." Phoebe said. She placed her instrument down to refill her wine glass. They were both on their third or fourth now. The bottle was over half-ways empty. "I'm so sorry to hear that the poor little rich boy didn't get to enjoy the holidays. See, my family was lucky if we even had food at Christmas time. But sometimes, I'd throw some tinsle on the mold growing in the corner of our house and pretend it was a Christmas tree. What about Halloween? You can't tell me Halloween isn't fun. Free candy, hello!"

"Yeah, I guess...except the year my dad made me dress up like Little Orphan Annie." he paused, feeling guilty.

"Alright...it was MY idea." he confessed and took another sip of wine. He was beginning to feel the effects of how much he'd drank, somewhat. "The boys at school called me a fag...that's a mean word!"

Phoebe shrugged. "I suppose it is, if you're a gay person. But to you, it's just a word."

"Yeah..I'm not gay. Am I?" he turned to her, waiting for an answer.

She laughed. "Uh...I dunno. Are you?"

"No..." he replied, sulking somewhat. "But I might as well be. I mean, I might have a better chance with men, than women. I don't know what it is about me that is so repellant.."

"Chandler, what are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.

"Like tonight!" Chandler went on, finding himself slurring his words a bit, after finishing the rest of his wine. "Everybody had a date to Joey's play, except me!"

"Well, why didn't you ask someone?"

"Like who?"

Phoebe shrugged. "I dunno. Someone from your office?"

"No. No women at my office would date me, Pheebs. None of the sane ones, anyways. I mean look at the girls I've dated in the past, ok?..." He begins counting off on his fingers. "Janice...well, come on, you remember how SHE was."

Phoebe laughed, nodding. "Uh-huh..."

"And then there was...Carol, the lesbian."

Phoebe furrowed her brow in confusion. "Wait...you mean Carol, Ross's wife?"

"Oh, that's _right_!" Chandler suddenly remembered. "See? I don't even have a list of girlfriends to point out their flaws! I'm lucky if I can get a girl to go on a second date with me! Because I go on the first date, and I open my mouth, and...out comes something stupid! I always get nervous, and I make too many jokes, because I am SO dumb..."

"No!" Phoebe began shaking her head. "No you're not!"

"I am!" he insisted, as he slumped forwards, and dropped his head in a depressed manner.

"No, you are not dumb! Stop it!" Before he knew what was happening, she grasped his chin tightly in her hand, and forced his head in her direction. "Now, you listen to me, Chandler Bing!" He fell quiet, intimidated by her tone of voice. "You are an excellent catch. You're..." she let go of his face and paused, taking an uncomfortable moment to think of something. "You're...oh! You're funny! You are! I happen to love your jokes!"

"You do?"

"Uh-huh. I mean, they are a_ little_ excessive, but...it's part of your personality! I mean, if you didn't make stupid jokes all the time, you wouldn't be Chandler. And you're also quite charming, at times. And handsome."

He couldn't help but smile at that one. "Handsome? Me? You really think so?"

She gave his knee a reassuring slap. "Oh, yeah! I mean...you're not, like...Joey-Tribbiani-handsome. But you're...you've got a little something going on. You've got this friendly glint in those baby-blue eyes of yours, and that cute, boy-ish smile. And those cute little dimples.." she cooed while squishing his cheeks. "Oh, and since I've given you a massage before, I can say that you have a pretty nice tushy, too. I mean, Ross's is better, but, y'know. Not bad."

He found himself smiling, uncontrollably, and then blushing, because he was smiling. "Oh, stop it, Pheebs."

"No, really. It's all true! I mean, I know that we're really close friends and all, but I mean...if you were just some guy who I didn't know, I'd go on a second date with you, hands down."

He gave a snort, swishing what was left of his wine around in his cup. "You're just saying that.."

"Nuh-uh! I so would! Listen, Chandler...the only thing wrong about you, from what I can see, is that you just...think all these bad things about yourself that aren't true. You just have such a low self-esteem, and that makes me kinda sad. Because you're really a great guy! You are."

He heaved a great sigh. "I know...my guidance counselor at work tells me the same things. But thanks, Pheebs. It means more coming from you."

"Well you know what?" she said, before taking another gulp from her cup. "Don't feel too bad. Because MY date stood me up tonight."

"Who's you're date? I'll kick his ass!" Chandler declared, puffing out his chest, which only made her laugh out loud.

"His name is Charles. And he's a friend of a friend, and supposedly, he's really cute." Her smile suddenly faded. "Hey, Chandler? You don't think that...maybe he saw me, and left, do you?"

"What!? No!" Chandler replied, unable to believe what he'd just heard her suggest. "No, Pheebs, or course he didn't! You're not Ross! He probably just didn't want to go outside because of the snow! I mean, look at it out there! Only a crazy person would go outside in that! He'll probably call you tomorrow when the phone lines are back up, believe me."

She gave him an odd look. "Gee, thanks.." she muttered, and he remembered that she was outside, not too long ago.

"I didn't mean..." he started to correct himself. "Well, you are a little bit crazy, Pheebs. But aren't we all? At least you're the good kind of crazy."

"The good kind?" she repeated. She poured some more wine in her cup, and the rest into his, even though Chandler felt he didn't need any more. He wasn't about to turn it down, however.

"Yes, the good kind. Pheebs, if he saw you and left, well that would just be...the biggest mistake of his life. Because girls like you are very hard to come by. I mean...Phoebe, I think that you...are probably the most interesting person I know."

Her eyes sparkled, in the dim candle-light as she smiled. God...was her smile always this pretty? 'Why haven't I noticed, before? Maybe this is because of the wine...or maybe the fact that I saw her naked. No...she's always been pretty.'

"And...you're also funny, and such a kind lady, and so pretty. No, not pretty...hot! You're like...a full-blown 10. And I'm not just sayin' that cause I saw you naked!" he blurted, and then instantly regretted it. He expected her to get mad, but she didn't. To his surprise she burst out laughing.

"Oh, Chandler...you really know how to talk to women." she laughed.

"Psh...yeah. A bottle of wine, later."

"So then get smashed for all your dates!"

"That's a really good idea..." he spilled the last few drops of wine into his cup.

Phoebe looked down at the guitar she had forgotten she was holding. "Ooh!" she cried, nearly dropping it. She regained her balance. "I was gonna...play this, wasn't I?"

"Uhm...I don't remember that far back, Pheebs. That was like...two minutes ago." He mumbled, leaning back against the arm of the couch.

"Yeah. Ok. I'll play a Christmas song...oh, wait. You don't like Christmas songs. How bout...Ooh! How bout this one!"  
>It took her a moment to correctly position her fingers on the frets. He was expecting her to play her black-out song, once again. He recognized the tune, as she plucked it but couldn't quite place it.<p>

"_I really can't stay_.." she sang, and then stopped all together, to his confusion. She felt her pat him on the leg.

"Chandler...that's your part."

He realized what she wanted him to do, and shook his head. "I don't know the words, Pheebs!"

"Of course you do! Everyone knows the words to this song! Now come on..._I really can't stay_.."

She waited, several seconds until he finally gave in. "_But baby it's cold outside_." he sang.

"_I've got to go away_.." she continued playing the chords. Impressively, on tune, considering how intoxicated she must have been.

_"But baby it's cold outside."_

_"This evening has been-_

_"Been hoping that you'd drop in."_ Chandler chimed in, feeling more confident, and enjoying the song.

_"- so very nice."_

_"I'll hold you're hands, they're just like ice.."_

_"My mother will start to worry."_

_"Beautiful what's your hurry.."_

_"And father will be pacing the door._

_"Beautiful, please don't hurry."_

_"Well maybe just a half a drink more."_

_"I'll put some records on, while you pour.."_

_"I really can't stay.."_

_"Ah, but it's cold, outside."_ he smiled, as they harmonized the last line together.

"You're right...that IS a good song."

"I know, right?" she set the guitar down, and made herself comfortable on the other side of the couch.

"I think we should sing it together, at Christmas time." he suggested, pulling himself upright to look at her.

"Ooh! Good idea! At Central Perk!"

"Yeah!" he enthusiastically agreed. "We'll be like...Sonny and Cher. Only...Chandler and Pheebs. It sounds better, anyways."

She laughed, and sat upright, as well. "You know...this night has turned out to be really fun."

"It has, hasn't it?" he agreed. He found himself pulling her towards him, with one arm, in an affectionate way. Her head automatically landed on his shoulder, to his satisfaction. 'Her hair is so soft..' he thought, resting his cheek against it. 'and it smells pretty, too.' He pulled the quilt up further, noting how warm he felt next to her. "You know...you and I don't get to hang out like this very often."

"Yeah.." she agreed. "I mean, not without the others around."

"Yeah, why is that?" he asked.

"I dunno...maybe because the others are...always around." she replied.

"Damn them!" he said, loudly, and she laughed again.

'She has the best laugh, ever..' he thought to himself. 'God, why do I keep thinking like this? It's the wine. It has to be the wine...' He suddenly noticed the menorah candles had all burnt out, except for one. He leaned forwards and picked up the lighter, deciding to re-light one of them. He flicked the lighter a couple times, to no avail. By the time he managed to light the wick, the metal was so hot, it burned his thumb.

"OW!" he cried, and immediately stuck it in his mouth, dropping the lighter.

"Oh! Are you ok, Chandler?" Phoebe asked, seemingly alarmed, by his outburst.

He nodded, still sucking his thumb. She seemed unconvinced, and concerned, as she pulled his hand towards her.

"Let me see..."

He forgot about his pain, as he watched her face, as she attentively looked over his thumb.

"Well, it's too dark for me to really see anything, but I'm sure it's fine. Do you want me to get you some ice?"

"No thanks. Besides, any ice cubes we have are probably melted by now.." he pointed out.

"Yeah...but there's snow! I could go outside and.."

"No, it's fine. I just wasn't watching what I was doing.. Please, don't go out there again." he said, before she could finish her sentence. "I know the other guy was cute, but I'm not worth the trouble, trust me..."

She looked down, and smirked in an adorable way, which made him smile, in turn. She looked up at him.

"You know...I don't think I thanked you for rescuing me, tonight."

He paused. "Uhm..I think you did, actually." he told her.

"Oh. Well..thanks again. I'm kind of glad I ended up here.."

He smiled again. "Me too."

His heart started beating faster, as he watched the reflection of the candle-light flicker in her olive-green eyes. He only held her gaze for a few seconds, before his nerves began churning his stomach. He cleared his throat.

"You alright?" she asked, becoming concerned again.

"Uh-huh..." he forced himself to look at her, once again. If anything, maybe the wine had given him more confidence than usual. Otherwise, he might not have it in him to say what he was about to say..

"Pheebs?"

"Uh-huh?"

He opened his mouth, and paused. "...I...uh..." he nervously ran his hand through his hair, and turned back to face her. "Maybe...it's the wine talking. Or the fact that, I can't even remember the last time I've been this close to a woman as remotely attractive as you, but...I'd really like to kiss you, right now."

He watched her face, waiting for a reaction, and quickly felt the weight of what he said. 'That was stupid, Chandler..' he thought. 'Inappropriate, and uncomfortable...and stupid. Way to ruin the night..'

"Oh.." the smirk returned to her face. "Is that so? I thought that was mistletoe I saw hanging up there on the ceiling."  
>Confused, Chandler glanced up at the ceiling, looking for said mistletoe. No sooner, did he feel her lips locked upon his. The surprise from her action quicky wore off. He closed his eyes, enjoying every moment of this. She pulled back, softly. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked at her, before he looked up again, still confused.<p>

"I still don't see it.." he said.

She let out a laugh at her joke. And Chandler smiled, as he leaned in, and kissed her again, unable to resist. His hands moved up into her hair, cradling her head as their kiss deepened. He kept expecting her to pull away, eventually, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned back, pulling him closer to her. Her hands moved up his shoulders, before she locked her wrists behind his head, their lips not parting. God, this felt good. He had almost forgotten what it felt like, but he couldn't remember ever wanting anyone this much. His lips parted into a gentle moan as her hips raised and pressed against his. He started kissing her harder, and more enthusiastically. He moved his lips to her jaw-line, then the space on her neck, just below her ear. She gave a sharp gasp of pleasure, which only urged him to continue.

Suddenly, there was the startling, and very unwelcome sound, of a thud against the door. It scared them both so much that Chandler ended up toppling off of her, and to the ground.

"Shit.." he groaned, as Phoebe sat up. There was few more raps against the door.

"Hey Chan, you in there? I forgot my keys!"

Chandler pulled himself up, rubbing his sore back. He looked around...how long had the lights been on? Neither of them had seemed to notice. Joey knocked again.

"I'm coming!" Chandler snapped, at his impatient roommate, still annoyed with his interruption. Phoebe offered her hand and pulled him to his feet. He limped his way to the door, and pulled it open, to allow the Italian into his apartment.

"Sorry, dude. I was in a rush when I left..we're all over hanging out at Monica's, since the powers back on. We're having a bit of an after-black-out party. I told them I'd come get you." Joey gave Phoebe a nod. "Hey, Pheebs. Nice shirt."

Phoebe looked down, smoothing it out. It was a little wrinkled from what happened a few moments ago. "Oh...thanks." She said, awkwardly. "Sorry for taking it, but...mine was soaking wet."

"Nah, it's fine. Looks much hotter on you, anyways. Female Body Inspector...nice!" Joey grinned, as he walked over to the bar, helping himself to a handful of chips from the bag Chandler had grabbed earlier. Chandler held his breath, half-expecting him to also notice the empty bottle of his wine.

"Man, I am so full.." Joey mumbled, whilst stuffing the chips into his mouth. Chandler let out a small sigh of relief, as he became reminded of how unobservant his roommate was. "So you guys coming or what?"

"Yeah!" Chandler quickly agreed, hoping to cover any suspicions. "Sure, we'll come right over. Right, Pheebs?"

"Uh-huh.." she answered, casually and made her way past him towards the door.

Joey's brow furrowed, as he looked from her to Chandler. His mouth broke into a smile.  
>"What'd you guys do this whole time? Fool around?"<p>

"AHA!" Chandler said, laughed, louder than necessary, and shook his head. "Psh...no. Of course not. Why would you think that?"

Joey gave a shrug. "I dunno...that's what _I'd_ do, if I was alone in a dark apartment, with a hot girl like Phoebe. But you're probably too chicken to make a move, anyways." he said, giving his roommate a playful slap on the back. He laughed turning towards Phoebe. "Probably for the better, anyways, huh, Pheebs?"

She gave a smile, and nodded, if only to keep Joey convinced that nothing happened.

"Alright, I'm heading over there." Joey said, making his way into the hallway. After Chandler watched him walk into Monica's apartment, he let out a relieved sigh, and glanced back at Phoebe. She smirked in a seductive manner, as she walked past him, not taking her eyes off of him. Chandler was becoming increasingly irritated that their evening ended to abruptly. But, reasoning there was nothing he could do about it, he followed her out the door, pushing it closed behind him. Just as he was cursing himself for blowing what he assumed was his only chance with her, he felt a jerk, as her fingers hooked into the back of his belt-loops.

The hair on the back of his neck rose, as she drew her mouth close to his ear. "I'm not done with you yet, Bing.." she whispered, causing a chill to tingle down his spine. She let go of his pants, and walked past him towards Monicas. With her hand on the door knob, she glanced over her shoulder at him, biting her lip in an adorable attempt to hide her smile, before she walked into Monica's apartment.

Chandler resisted the urge to begin his awkward happy dance, even though he felt it was the perfect occasion. Maybe he'd save it for later. 'But it's probably better, if I don't..' he thought, as he followed the blonde inside to join their friends, already looking forward to the end of the night.


End file.
